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John Beath Environmental, LLC Striving to make something better every day
Striving to make something better every day
The Plastic Problem
Scarr & Hernandez. Reuters Graphics (2019)
Plastics Pollution: Applying Life Cycle and Strategic - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Plastics Pollution: Applying Life Cycle and Strategic - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
ACLCA- September 2019 Plastics Pollution: Applying Life Cycle and Strategic Sustainability Assessment Methods to the Most Significant Land and Water Based Sustainability Challenge Facing the 21 st Century John M. Beath, P.E. (Texas), LCA-CP
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Striving to make something better every day
The Plastic Problem
“Some 27,000 tons of plastics enter the ocean – every single. day1. That’s equivalent to almost 10 million tons per year. The cost of marine plastic pollution for the consumer goods industry alone is estimated to be at least $13bn per year2.”
1 Boucher, J. and Friot D. (2017). Primary Microplastics in the Oceans: A Global Evaluation of Sources. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. 43pp.; 2 UNEP (2014) Valuing Plastics: The Business Case for Measuring, Managing and Disclosing Plastic Use in the Consumer Goods Industry.
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Global Releases of Primary Microplastics to Oceans
Boucher, J. and Friot D. (2017)
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Presentation Outline
Inventory Analysis Solutions
Guidelines for Building a Plastic Flow and Leakage Inventory Translating Information into Action The Intersection of LCA and Plastics
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How to Collect Data and Quantify Plastic Flow and Leakage
Raw Materials Manufacturing Distribution Use End of life
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Plastic Flow and Leakage: Raw Materials and Manufacturing
Raw Materials Manufacturing
- Collect data by plastic type
- Account for manufacturing
loss rates
- Track industrial waste end of
life
- Account for regional waste
management practices
- Find in-plant recycling
- pportunities
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Data Collection: Bottom Up
Option 1: Individual component and scale up
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Data Collection: Top-Down
Option 2: Use procurement data
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Plastic Leakage: Distribution
Distribution
- Tire abrasion while driving account for 28%
- f microplastics releases to oceans
Boucher, J. and Friot D. (2017)
- Road markings (weathering and abrasion by
vehicles) account for 7% of microplastics releases to oceans
Emerging Consideration: Leakage from Plastic Roads
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Use
Plastic Leakage: Product Use Phase
- Personal care products (pouring during use)
represents a 2% of the microplastic releases
Boucher, J. and Friot D. (2017)
- Abrasion during laundry account for 35% of
microplastics releases to oceans
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End of life
Ritchie and Roser (2019)
Plastic Leakage: End of Life
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Plastic Flow and Leakage Inventory
Data for illustrative purposes only
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Quantitative Plastic Impact Assessment: In Development
Boucher et al, 2019
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Beyond LCA: Economic and Social Considerations
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Presentation Outline
Solutions
The Intersection of LCA and Plastics
Inventory Analysis
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Example 1:
Updated PET Bottle LCA Model
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8% overall reduction in GWP impacts
- PET resin manufacturing processes are more efficient + 25% recycled content input
- Less packaging cardboard
- Distribution and use [refrigeration] input parameters updated
- End of life modeling: recycled content approach assumed in updated model; avoided
burden assumed in former model
Example 1:
Updated PET Bottle LCA Model
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Example 2:
Future of LCA and Sustainability Reporting?
5 10 15 20 25 Product A Product B Disposable water bottle kg plastic material per study functional unit
Product Plastic Inventory by Material Type
ABS HDPE PP Polystyrene PET Product Packaging % of Total Plastic Input Product A 1% Product B 16%
Note: This is not a traditional LCIA impact category
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Rigid Container Flexible pouch Reusable bottle+ concentrated refills
Example 3:
Product Container Streamlined LCA
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Product to Package Ratio* Recycled content Recyclability End of life fate
Example 3:
Including Additional Metrics
Fossil Fuels Consumption Global Warming Potential Emissions Water Consumption Plastic Consumption
*Product weight/Package weight Higher number = More efficient use of materials (less packaging by weight is being used to protect the product)
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Example 3:
Sustainable Packaging Design Trade-Off’s
Design Strategy
Flexible Pouch Reusable Bottle with 3-pack Refills (*Single Reusable –Single 3-Pack Refill) Rigid
Minimize Materials Plastics Content (g's/ounce) Included and Increase Recycled Content % Design for Transport minimize hops Minimize Water Consumption and Energy Efficiency (liters/ounce) Minimize Risks Associated with Potentially Toxic and Hazardous Materials Use Renewable and/or Recyclable Materials Source Responsibly Design for Reuse Design for Recovery Design for Waste Reduction Design for Consumer Accessibility (eCommerce) Provide Use and Disposal Information to Consumer
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Presentation Outline
Translating Information into Action
Inventory Analysis Solutions
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Packaging R&D and Design Value Chain and Stakeholder Engagement Promote New Plastics Circular Economy Marketing and Consumer Education Corporate Reduction Commitments
Solutions Across the Value Chain
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100% recyclability of packaging across all its product categories and its target to achieve 25% recycled content in all plastic packaging by 2025. By 2025, 100% of our plastic packaging will be refillable, rechargeable, recyclable or compostable Triple the amount of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic content in SC Johnson packaging by 2025
2030 goals: Create solutions so no packaging finds its way to the ocean
Translating Information into Action
Actions Challenges
Clearly, a huge gap exists between existing corporate sustainability goals and the current state of the U.S. RPET market (M. Bermish, Wood Mackenzie)
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Taking Action: Colgate Tom’s of Maine
The first challenge involves changing manufacturing equipment to handle the new
- design. The next challenge will
be teaching both recycling plants and consumers that toothpaste tubes can go in recycling bins.
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Consumer Outreach and Marketing
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Relevant Organizations
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John Beath Environmental, LLC Striving to make something better every day
Thank you!
John M. Beath, P.E. (Texas), LCA-CP LLC Manager, Senior Technical Consultant and Environmental Coach Kristen Rowe, MEM Sustainability Practice Lead Amy Caffarella Senior Environmental and Sustainability Consultant Soni Mohan Senior Environmental Consultant Bonnie Nixon Senior Sustainability Consultant Temis Coral, MEM Sustainability Consultant
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Sources
Boucher, J, Carole Dubois, Anna Kounina, and Phillipe Puydarriex. Review of plastic footprint methodologies. IUCN Reuters Graphics (2019). https://graphics.reuters.com/ENVIRONMENT- PLASTIC/0100B275155/index.html?fbclid=IwAR3jg_JhCFbR__v_plbUPUsoSoQioGjCBSzb23w0PVT3ZUggN7gx7Dqlek4 Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser (2019) - "Plastic Pollution". Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: 'https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution' [Online Resource] Boucher, J. and Friot D. (2017). Primary Microplastics in the Oceans: A Global Evaluation of Sources. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. 43pp. Simon, Nils & Knoblauch, Doris & Mederake, Linda & Schulte, Maro & Masali, Supriya. (2018). No more Plastics in the Ocean: Gaps in Global Plastic Governance and Options for a Legally Binding Agreement to Eliminate Marine Plastic Pollution.